History

Head of Faculty

Mr Lee Bradbury

Subject Leader

Miss Danielle Hailey

Vision

To promote the discovery of the global interconnection and parallel nature of history to develop an understanding of the narrative of human history and how this is reflected in the world today. We aim to ignite a lifelong passion for the study of history through challenging and diverse histories spanning from the history of the British Isles and across the world. We want students to acquire an understanding of the events which have shaped the world in which they will inherit in order to flourish in an ever-changing world. 

Disciplinary Concepts

• Cause and consequence
• Change and continuity
• Similarity and difference
• Significance
• Evidence
• Interpretations

Big Questions

• What is history?
• Why do empires rise and fall?
• What wins wars?
• What makes a great leader?
• How do spiritual movements spread?
• What causes nationalism?
• How do intellectual movements start?
• What impact does technology have on social change?

Curriculum Content

Key Stage 3

Year 7 Program of Study:

The Battle of Hastings ascertaining the contenders to the throne, events of the battle and consequences. Medieval Kings including William’s control of England (castles and feudal system), King John, Crusades, the Black Death and Peasants’ Revolt.  The Hundred Years War – Breadth Study which explores the role of Medieval women in politics, the development of international conflict and the development of life, culture and society. The unit also includes The War of the Roses and the challengers of the throne, development of international influence, the Princes in the Tower. Tudor England investigating the establishment of the Tudor dynasty, the lives and impacts of Henry VIII and Edward VI, interpretations of Mary I, Philip of Spain, Elizabeth and the events of the Armada. The English Civil War considering the causes, events and consequences of the downfall of the English Monarchy and the rise of Oliver Cromwell.

Year 8 Program of Study:

The French Revolution examining the causes, events and consequences of the French Revolution both domestically and internationally.  The Industrial Revolution - Charting the social, political and economic changes of the Victorian era. Empires exploring concepts of change and continuity through Medieval Africa, African Empires, case study of the Kongo, impacts of the British Empire and abolition of slavery. Russia in Revolution investigating the changing nature of power and authority through the causes and events of the October revolution, growth of communism, rise of Stalin. World War One discovering the causes and events of key turning points in the war, investigating soldiers’ experiences of war and introducing historical interpretations. In the Shadow of Versailles tracking the political, social, economic and cultural landscape of Europe following the Treaty of Versailles and its consequences for the wider world.

Year 9 Program of Study:

World War II: exploring the causes, events, consequences and human cost of the Second World War. The Holocaust (Statutory Requirement) investigating the causes, events and consequences of the Holocaust in its historical context. Conflict in the Middle East, allowing students to develop an understanding of the creation of Israel, the causes, events and consequences of the Arab-Israeli conflict and its impact on the wider world.  20th Century America - Breadth Study which explores the social, political, economic and cultural changes in America across the 20th Century. 20th Century China considering the changing nature of governance in China, the Cultural Revolution and China’s place in the modern world.

Key Stage 4: Edexcel GCSE History (Paper Codes 11, 2Q, 31)

Paper 1: Medicine in Britain, c1250-present – Thematic Study. Comprised of the following units of study:

Medieval Medicine 1250 – 1500,
Renaissance Medicine 1500-1700,
Industrial Medicine 1700 – 1900,
Modern Medicine 1900 – Present
Medicine on the Western Front – Historic Environment Study.

Paper 2: Henry VIII and his ministers – British Depth Study. Comprise of the following units of study:

The Rise and Fall of Wolsey,
The Rise and Fall of Cromwell,
Religious Reform and Opposition.

Paper 2: Superpower Relations and The Cold War – Period Study. Comprised of the following units of study:

Origins of the Cold War,
Events of the Cold War,
End of the Cold War.

Paper 3: Weimar and Nazi Germany– Modern Depth Study.  Comprised of the following units of study:

The Weimar Republic,
The Rise of the Nazis,
Dictatorship in Nazi Germany,
Life in Nazi Germany.

Key Stage 5: Edexcel A Level History (Route G: Nationalism, dictatorship and democracy in twentieth-century Europe with Option 31)

Germany and West Germany: 1919-1991 (Paper 1) – Breadth Study with Interpretations.

The Rise and Fall of Fascism in Italy (Paper 2) – Depth Study

Independent Research Enquiry (Non- Examined Assessment) – Coursework

Rebellion and Disorder Under the Tudors, 1485-1603 (Paper 3) – Themes in Breadth with aspects of Depth